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What is a cataract?
It is an eye disease in which the lens, a transparent tissue that looks like a convex lens located just behind the pupil, becomes opaque. If turbidity occurs in the lens, the original function of the lens, that is, the function of refracting light to form an image on the retina, is lost, objects appear blurry and the turbidity gradually worsens, eventually leading to blindness.
When a cataract occurs, various symptoms appear depending on the location of the turbidity. If the turbidity is in the center, the main blindness may appear under bright light where the size of the pupil becomes smaller. As cataracts progress further, several images may appear due to the turbidity, and you may be able to read the newspaper without a magnifying glass, but this is a temporary phenomenon and will disappear.
The most common cause of cataracts is senile cataracts caused by aging. In addition, it can also be caused by trauma or continuous exposure to ultraviolet rays or heat. It may also occur secondary to eye disease or intraocular inflammation, or may also be caused by long-term instillation or taking drugs such as steroids.
In addition, there are also congenital cataracts caused by drug use or maternal infection delivered to the fetus during pregnancy.
When is the timing of cataract surgery?
In the past, surgery was performed by waiting until the turbidity caused by the cataract was completely progressed, but now, surgery is performed when the turbidity has progressed to some extent and interferes with daily life. Therefore, the timing of surgery may vary due to differences in gender, occupation, and age. If you wait until the stage of mature or overmature cataract to perform surgery, this can cause glaucoma, so it is recommended to perform surgery if you feel uncomfortable due to reduced vision caused by the cataract. There is no complete medication for treatment, and surgical removal of the cataract is the surest way.
If you are diagnosed with a cataract and need surgery, several examinations will be performed before surgery. First of all, the cornea, conjunctiva, and canaliculus should be examined for inflammation with a slit lamp microscope, and the examination and axial length should be measured through ultrasound examination.
During cataract surgery, anesthesia is performed using local anesthesia, and there are methods using retrobulbar anesthesia, periocular anesthesia, pin-point anesthesia, and eye drop anesthesia.
Among them, the method using pin-point anesthesia and eye drop anesthesia has significantly less pain during anesthesia and allows eye movement immediately after surgery, but it is possible only when the patient cooperates well.
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